Santa Barbara to Buenos Aires, and then some...

Caught the late ferry from Colonia, Uruguay to Buenos Aires Tuesday night, October 14th. Summary: Rode 8,247 miles = 13,272. kilometers Orange is the route of Brazil 2014 trip. Brazil 2014

Twisting the throttle - heading south.  Even with significant road work and delays I still made 725 km today. After 30 minutes of lane splitting I took to the dirt and rode around another ~10 km of traffic backups. This will be an amazing road when it is finished - but stopping at toll plazas every hour sucks - sell me a disposable RFID pass good for a day/week/whatever...

Bypassed Sau Paulo and headed inland to meet Melissa's cousin Jerry and his family - great people, fun and very welcoming.  Touring a wonderful little piece of Holland in southern Brazil.   Cheers, Nick from my phone.

Búzios is the best of Santa Barbara and Carmel surrounded by amazing beaches for 300 degrees -  it's the 60 degrees of Compton/Tijuana that you have to drive through that's the killer.    There's a little housing development just down the street with a heliport and a lethal electric fence that suggests there's an alternative.  Did I mention the beaches are amazing? Cheers, Nick from my phone.

Arrived Búzios.  Now I understand why helicopter are a part of urban Brazil.  60 + kilómetros of bumper to bumper traffic with stop lights,  large speed bumps from hell, and speed cameras (a hundred plus) to get to...  paradise (?).   I was expecting a semi-tropical Carmel... a closer approximation might be driving through downtown Tijuana without the benefit of Mexican food.  I'll reserve judgment on Buzio until tomorrow and a fresh day because after 7 hours to travel 250 miles (in the rain)  I'm a little cranky... I'm planning to stay for a few days.

I've rounded the curve of the horn of Brazil.  I finally saw a fellow Adventure rider after 3 weeks -  he was riding an almost identical v-strom no less., but traveling North,  the wrong direction. Later in the day I met and rode with a local Brazilian on a Triumph 1200.  Unfortunately he was ending his ride in Aracaju.  We ended up riding the rest of the day and then sharing  a late lunch and beers with friends - I got a room, and later that night was invited to dinner with the family. Like I've said - I've never met a bad adventure rider.   A nice  bike!  He's planning a big trip South in March and I hope to host him on his way through BsAs. Natal to Salvador could have been done in a day but beer intervened and Aracaju was very nice. I've checked into a place right on the waterfront in Salvador and tomorrow I'll go play tourist. It's Brazil,  there's a beach,  it's evening...

Kids playing futbol on the beach at night.  Spent the day in Natal yesterday -  the nicest place I've visited.   Beautiful setting on the coast with beaches stretching for 12 km; an amazing mix of old and new with huge swaths of natural vegetation integrated into their development and an actual traffic plan. I could live in Natal. Today I traveled South jumping over Recife and then cut over to the coast and drove secondary roads along the water most of the afternoon.   I ended up in Maceió arriving after dark so no clue except for the HUGE new mall I passed coming into town. Did I mention that Natal was pretty special -  a 9 compared to Fortaleza's 7. Natal from southern most point.  The old district,  with interesting and less sterile places to stay.  Beach from 19th floor at dusk,  near northern point looking South.  Cheers, Nick from my phone.

I rolled into Fortaleza on Saturday morning and checked into an online booked beachfront hotel for the weekend. When I hit the beach I was bummed to see they were nearly vacant. It turns out there's a north-south oriented beach crosstown everybody uses in the mornings and afternoons (better waves and beach services) - but in the late  afternoon and into the evening the beach in front of my hotel is the place to be.   Snack vendors,  guys with ice chests strapped to bikes selling single beers,  families,  teenagers,  everyone comes  out and weaves around one another on bikes,  blades,  skateboards and rented station wagon bikes,  all at speed among the pedestrians on about a mile and a half of boardwalk -  and it works marvelously.. This morning I was at the happening day beach,  nice but way too many people missed the memo about old people wearing speedos and thongs -  Brazilian beaches have always been home to curvaceo...

I wandered the old working port and market early this morning.   People were coming and going,  transporting burlap bags of beans & provisions, small appliances and palates of fruit using proverbial tramp steamers (but diesel) and powered river canoes (like in Bangkok,  an  engine welded to a 3 meter long shaft with a bare prop on the end - that whole setup swivels at the stern and must be legend among its victims).  I got a deal on some almost-Chanel sun glasses today,  only 10 reals. I spent the rest of the day exploring a jungle preserve.  It was lovely and let me see creatures and the jungle up close -  the Yosemite Valley of Belém.   Next stop: I'm going to hop on the bike and try to find some unspoiled forest.

The estuary of the Amazon Busses have ticket sellers riding along. I'm happy to have arrived at the bank of The River.  It's exciting,  still rustic and has a rusty edge and earthly scent to it,  and then you wander past the real people down to the waterfront which has been converted into... wait for it, upscale Restaurants, a happening micro brewery and (drum roll) Shopping.   Then,  50 meters past the retro-piers,  the Franciscans are feeding the hungry in a public plaza at dusk. Meanwhile,  I'm booked into a four star hotel again for less price than some of the lesser establishments I've been finding on the road -  turns out Brazil has over built these (thanks World Cup and Olympics) and they're cheap if you book online ( hotels.com ) This one is 112 reals a night (US$ 50), garage and nice  breakfast included. Tomorrow I'm going to check out Amazon excursions but I'm skeptical of the advice which tells me that I...

850 km (500 miles)  yesterday.  

I feel like I've finally arrived in Brazil - real people, real prices (as opposed to 17 dollar subway sandwiches). I pulled over at a wide spot in the road as the sun was going down after running the afterburners all day.  I made 700 km (420 miles) on a 2 lane highway heading north towards Belem.  Dinner was boiled mystery meat over rice - at least partly chicken because I could make out the feet in the mix.  There was a pan of something that looked like ginormous Lima beans but when I tried to eat one a woman hurried over and abjectly forbade me.  I still don't know what it was or how to eat it... Its hot with nothing to do so people (and hungry pets) sit around outside chatting (hoping food will fall) while watching the road.  Today I passed hundreds of miles of what had been sub-tropical forests that has been clear cut and burned; some still burning.  I'm going to get up early and do it again tomorrow - I might try to sit out the hottest...

I rolled into Brasilia yesterday and checked into a 4 star hotel,  as compared to the frightful dump I found last night.   I spent 1/2 the day cleaning up and getting new set of (pricey) Metzler Tourance tires installed; all I  could find. What a strange and interes city,  I can't decide if it's a 20th century architectural wet dream or nightmare.   Either way,  it's HUGE and impressive.    Trip adviser listed the Number One attraction as a church; I swore I'd never visit another Cathedral in South America,  but I have to admit it was worth the visit.   I arrived as the sun was going down and Saturday evening mass was beginning so I experienced it as it was designed.   The entire building is constructed of blue stained glass -  360 degrees. After a week I've finally begun to develop an ear for Portuguese, admittedly my Spanish sucks but I get bye -  it's a bummer having to travel as a deaf mute again. My Zu...

I hadn't considered that riding to the northern reaches of Argentina was much of an adventure given that I have done it before, and crossing into Foz do Iguazú, Brazil, although easily the simplest EVER, still didn't rate as an adventure.  Now I'm in Maringa and its more attuned to driving through Georgia in the summer.   I'll post again when something interesting happens.

Trip Summary: Moving Average: 80.3 km/h Moving Time: 83:28 hours Total Distance: 6670.4 km = 4002 miles  Travel time: 14 days Travel per day: 476 per day Flat tires: 2 (both within 30 minutes of each other) Accidents:1 (rear ended on the road by a truck that was driving too fast on a mountain road) Stops in San Luis (province of San Luis), Uspallata (Mendoza), Las Flores (San Juan), Vinchina (La Rioja), Tinogasta (Catamarca), crossed into Chile  at Pasa de San Francisco (4,730 meters altitude = 15,470 feet) in the Andes before coasting into the immigration/customs office on fumes where we spent the night and were happy to be fed toasted rolls with spam by the janitor, Juan Carlos.  The next day we fired the afterburners (after Juan Carlos arranged for the water truck driver to bring us 20 liters of fuel) and made it to the coast and stayed in Taltal, Chile.  The following day we decided that driving through the Atacama Desert was like driving throug...

Packing it in. Arrived Buenos Aires at 12:43 AM Impact zone, fortunately, the bags took the brunt... Road Rash After 6,745 km in 13 days of some seriously rough roads through Argentina and Chile with lots of dirt and several passes over the Andes at 16,000 feet and Matt finally admits he doesn't want to see a motorcycle for a while... Never mind a few flat tires and getting slammed into from behind by a truck in the mountains with no serious injuries - you know you're extremely skilled (LUCKY) when the truck that kissed my moto had to be towed down the mountain while we were able to ride on.  Too bad my luggage, their mounts and most of my cloths are toast.  Armored cloths , real boots and a good helmet are good things. Cheers, Nick, from my phone.

Matt with wild alpacas in the altiplano.  In the high desert at 15000 ft with alpacas. An amazing twisty road north of Jujuy and vistas south of Salta. The route down from the altiplano where we dropped from 13,800 feet to 7,100 feet in about an hour. Flat number 1 Flat number 2 While fixing flat number 2, Gonzalo, a fellow adventure rider (returning from the Bolivian border) stopped to help and had the correct tube - we were trying to cram a 19 front tire tube into the back rim... Later we all went out to dinner later.   Dinner with Gonzalo  Cheers, Nick

Panoramic of the high desert with volcano in the distance Watering hole for the alpacas Cheers, Nick, from my phone.

Twisty Update Cheers, Nick, from my phone.

Panoramic Cheers, Nick, from my phone.

4,726 meters elevation Aduana Marriott, in the Andes of Chile Matt and Juan Carlos Juan Corlos hospitality, which was warmly appreciated. McTasty Tea and crumpets Got gas and ready to roll Riding riding riding... like the energizer bunny, we just keep going. We ran out of gas at the border of Argentina to Chile at altitude 15000 ft and ended up spending the night in the emergency shelter of the immigration office on top of the mountain in the middle of NOWHERE !!! It's all part of the adventure (or so they say, I just want to know who "they" is?). The janitor (Juan Carlos) took us in and fed us spam-ish sandwiches and sweet tea then gave us 8 blankets to use on a couple of box springs they had laying on the floor.  The next morning Juan got a hold of the water tanker driver who brought fuel from 180 km away (on dirt road down elevation of 11,000 feet).  Then he made us scrambled eggs and toast in his little camp stove - delicious!   He...